BOOK REVIEW: Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra @berkleypub @viriginiakantra #megandjo #bookreview

Inspired by Little Women, Virginia Kantra’s Meg & Jo is a modern take on the classic novel many of us grew up loving. Charming, nostalgic, and fun!

About the Book

The timeless classic Little Women inspired this heartwarming modern tale of four sisters from New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.

The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, stylish Amy, and shy Beth—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook and secret food blogger.

Meg appears to have the life she always planned—the handsome husband, the adorable toddlers, the house in a charming subdivision. But sometimes getting everything you’ve ever wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

When their mother’s illness forces the sisters home to North Carolina for the holidays, they’ll rediscover what really matters.

One thing’s for sure—they’ll need the strength of family and the power of sisterhood to remake their lives and reimagine their dreams.

Reflection

Given the large differences in daily life and gender dynamics that 150 years will bring, Meg & Jo feels fresh and different. If you haven’t read Little Women, you’ll still enjoy this book. It works as a standalone. In fact if it weren’t for the names of the sisters being so iconic to the original book, I’m not sure I would have picked up on this being a reimagining of Little Women, in part due to the way Kantra splits up the stories into a focus on Meg and Jo in this book, and a focus on Beth and Amy in the sequel.

In this retelling, Meg is a stay-at-home mom to toddler twins, and let’s just say she has her hands full. Meg married her love John and gave up her career to be a full-time mom, but she’s not sure she’s happy. Meanwhile Jo sought independence, moving to New York City and working as a prep cook at a fancy NYC restaurant and running her own food blog. Jo’s life may sound like it is going well, but an affair with her tattooed boss at the restaurant threatens to topple her life. Is there a future for Jo and her Michelin-star chef boyfriend? Especially when Jo is keeping a few secrets from him.

When Meg & Jo’s mother falls ill, Meg and Jo set their troubles aside to return home and care for their mother, younger sisters Amy and Beth, and keep the family farm running. And their North Carolina farm isn’t just a return to family, it also means a return to a few other troubles they thought were long left behind.

I personally liked that this was a reimagining of these characters in modern times with modern issues, rather than a straight retelling of the original story. I felt that the characters were true to their inspiration, but we saw them facing the same sorts of challenges that women today face. Jo struggles with balancing love, career ambitions, and concerns over her chosen career paths, while Meg struggles with how to support her husband and family and be true to herself. I went into the book most interested in Jo as a character, but found I really enjoyed the reimagined, modern Meg. Her story really shines and felt relatable.

Full of laughs and great moments, this book delivered on it’s promises!